Paragon (Lucas Daniel Ellison)
History Childhood Paragon's early years are a mystery. It is known that he was born in Springdale, Arkansas on June 28, 1986 to Harry Ellison and Sandra Roberts, two famous scientists who were renowned for their work on the human genome. There is no evidence to suggest that Lucas lived life in any way differently from that of a normal boy. He is known to have been physically fit, very athletic, and also an avid reader of comic books. His favorite comic book hero was Captain America, and he grew up wanting to be like the Cap. According to Lucas' own recollections, at the age of four he wished upon a shooting star, professing his desire to become a superhero in the vein of Captain America himself. Twenty years later, his wish would come true, though it would do so in a way more horrible than Lucas could ever imagine. Project: PARAGON At some point before July 1, 2010, Lucas and his parents were forcibly abducted by the mysterious Heracles Corporation, and Lucas was forced to be a part of Project: PARAGON, a top-secret US government program to induce superpowers within human beings of exceptional physical ability for military purposes. Lucas was one of ten such individuals, and in order to make sure he did not resist, he was put into a coma, while his own mother and father were forced to genetically enhance his body and mind to their peak potential under the threat of death. In addition to genetically-engineered modifications to Lucas' body, his skeletal structure was surgically coated with Adamantium, a once-thought-to-be-fictional metal existing only within the comic books Lucas had read as a child. Apparently, Heracles Corp managed to actually create this very metal, and thanks to the genetic enhancements that Lucas had gotten, he wa able to survive the process of the metal bonding to his skeletal structure. Adamantium, just like it's comic book counterpart, is unbreakable by any means once it has cooled down. This effectively made Lucas invulnerable, though he could still feel pain. The Escape "L-Lucas! Don't--" -Harry Ellison's final words to his son On July 1, 2010, at 10:02 AM EST, Lucas awoke from his coma while his parents were preparing to induce the final phase of genetic manipulation: an artificially constructed neurotoxin that would irrevocably brainwash Lucas into doing whatever the Heracles Corporation ordered him to do. When Lucas awoke, his father was preparing to inject the neurotoxin. However, out of pure reflex, Lucas reached out, grabbed his father's neck, and accidentally decapitated him before escaping the Heracles Corporation facility he was housed in in a mad rush for freedom. This particular event would haunt Lucas for a long time afterward. Becoming "Paragon" Fully aware of the abilities he now possessed, and wracked with guilt over his unintentional murder of his own father, Lucas Ellison decided to become a vigilante, protecting innocents from harm wherever and whenever he could. In deciding to do this, he took on the alias "Paragon" in homage to the project that had made him what he now was, and also as a way of acknowledging what he had become: a perfect specimen of human physical ability, in the vein of Captain America, whom he had looked up to as a child. In addition, it served as a reminder to him of who made him what he now was, and his newfound purpose in life. However, Lucas would not be able to rest easy: the other nine members of Project: PARAGON, all with the exact same abilities as he, were ruthlessly hunting him by the order of the Heracles Corporation, so that they could complete the final augmentation phase on him. Lucas remained on the run for months, living "off the grid" so as to avoid being captured, before eventually finding an unintentional safe haven. Discovering Tangent Tropolis At some point in early 2011, Lucas stumbled across the city of Tangent Tropolis; a haven for super-powered beings (called "supers" for short). While there, he met many fellow "supers" within the hour of his arrival: Neo-Blade, The Raven, Wilder, Lady Paintbrush, The Illusionist, Maria, The Blue Eagle, and Panzerschreck (who would later become Lucas' arch-rival). Upon first arriving there, he was approached by Neo-Blade, who questioned him and essentially gave him a rundown of what life was like in the city. The talk was interrupted when Lucas heard gunfire and hurried to a location nearby, where he encountered Wilder, a humanoid mercenary with wings, who had killed an assassin trying to kill him. Lucas, not knowing this, aggressively challenged Wilder, which led to a short skirmish in which Wilder used an explosive bullet to blow off a section of the skin on Lucas' shoulder. Undeterred, Lucas chased Wilder, but the fight was quickly brought to an end when Wilder used a well-placed mine to detonate two buildings that Lucas was in-between, and they collapsed on him. Lucas of course survived, but Wilder got away. However, the noise had attracted the other supers mentioned above, and they all began to talk to one another-- something that Lucas noted was unlikely, if all the comics he had read as a child were true on how supers would act. Eventually, Lucas and Panzerschreck confronted one another, and this led to a short, epic, evenly-matched brawl. Panzerschreck, realizing that Lucas could not simplybe beaten into submission, used gas vials filled with a chemical compound that would slow down a victim's physical and mental reaction times. This worked on Lucas for ten minutes before he could move normally, but it was more than enough time for Panzerschreck to escape. Physical Appearance Lucas is an exemplar of human physical perfection, and his body reflects this. He is Caucasian, has brown eyes and hair, stands at a height of 6'2", and is 260 pounds of pure muscle. When one factors in his Adamantium skeleton, he weighs, at least, over 300 pounds altogether. Powers/Abilities To understand what powers and abilities Paragon possesses, it is important to note that his augmentations alone made him equal to Captain America, who also was considered a physically and mentally perfect human specimen. When one factors in the increased durability and strength given to him by way of his Adamantium skeleton, Paragon can be considered one of the most perfect humans to be alive, when one includes the other members of Project: PARAGON, as well as other supers such as Panzerschreck and Paradigm. Healing Factor: The only real "power" Paragon possesses is a superhuman healing factor augmented by the genetic engineering done to him, in which a partial strain of the "N1" regeneration serum was pliced into the genetic cocktail used to augment him. According to Lucas' own observations, he has surmised that his healing factor is at least on par with that of Marvel character Wolverine. Artificially Enhanced Physiology: Similar in description to Paragon's healing factor, the augmentations given to him as a result of Project: PARAGON give him an extreme amount of durability, and also enhance his body to the peak of human potential, while still keeping him fully human. Stunted Aging: As a result of Lucas' enhancements, he will remain in his physical prime for an extremely long time; he is agruably ageless. Peak Human Strength: Lucas' physical strength has been enhanced to the very peak of human potential. As a result, Lucas is as physically strong as a human being could be without being classified as superhuman. If he did not have his Adamantium skeleton giving him extra strength, he would be able to lift, at most, 800 lbs while benching. With it, however, he is able to lift up to 1200 pounds, maximum. Peak Human Speed: He can run at speeds of up to approximately 30 miles per hour, and when maxing his speed out, he is capable of running at 60 mph. Peak Human Stamina: His body eliminates the excessive build-up of fatigue-producing poisons in his muscles, granting him phenomenal endurance. He is capable of exerting himself at peak capacity for several hours without rest before showing any signs of fatigue. Peak Human Agility: Lucas' agility is superior to that of any Olympic athlete's. Peak Human Reflexes: Lucas' reflexes are superior to that of any Olympic athlete that has ever competed. Like most of his abilities, his reflexes border on, or may even be at, superhuman levels. Peak Human Durability: Lucas' ability to withstand injury is far superior to those of ordinary humans. His Adamantium skeleton and regen factor allows him to take far more punishment than even a hero like Captain America could, becoming nearly invulnerable. Peak Human Metabolism: His enhanced metabolism allows him to heal from injury or disease far faster than normal humans. Coupled with his Adamantium skeletal structure, as stated above, Lucas is nearly invulnerable. He is immune to disease and poisoning as well thanks to his regen factor. In addition, Lucas is capable of holding his breath for ten full minutes without having to come up for air. Peak Human Mental Process: Lucas' mental performance has been greatly enhanced, allowing his mind to operate in the most efficient and rapid manner possible. One manifestation of this is his tactical genius; the ability to quickly process multiple information streams (e.g., threat assessment) and rapidly respond to changing tactical situations. He appears to also possess eidetic memory in addition to this, meaning that he has near-perfect recall of anything that he has witnessed or experienced in the past. Peak Human Perception: Lucas has exceptionally keen eyesight and hearing, as well as a sense of smell on par with some animals. He is capable of smelling scents at up to one mile away, and has the ability to sense pheromones given off by other creatures as a way to assess their gender and intentions. His eyesight automatically adjusts to changing light levels, and even gives him a kind of night-vision. With these abilities, Lucas, as Paragon, is a penultimate example of human physical perfection, capable of becoming an extremely deadly hunter and warrior. Personality Lucas is an honest man, having been heavily influenced throughout his life by both his parents and his childhood hero, Captain America. He tries to the best of his ability to epitomize what being a superhero really means, and currently believes that he is the only super in the city that can truly be called a "hero"; this is a perception that he himself wishes to change by training the so-called "heroes" of Tangent Tropolis into an actual fighting force. He believes firmly in the causes of freedom and justice, and openly commits himself to upholding these ideals and protecting the citizens of Tangent Tropolis. After picking up the mantle of a superhero in Tangent Tropolis, Lucas was revealed to suffer from recurring nightmares about the augmentation process that gave him his "gifts". At one point, he openly eondered to himself why he had not allowed these nighmarish memories to drive him insane. After some amount of thinking, he came to the conclusion that these nightmares served as a constant reminder to him of his promise, and that he could not allow himself to go insane; because if he did, then he would have no real reason to exist as far as he was concerned.